The Labyrinth is one of my favourite films, I may have a love for the Goblin King and of course the infamous Worm from the film. So when I learned that My Throat an Open Grave was like that movie meets folk horror and romance I was intrigued. By the first page I was hooked.

Bovalino creates a world that is both enchanting and deadly. The themes of this book vary so much from grief and trauma to love and acceptance. I also think that she deals with all the topics with respect. I dislike spoilers but the way Bovalino highlights the hypocrisy often prevalent in those who claim to be the most religious and protectors of faith is dealt with a lot better than I would. This is paired with the subtly of the sin belonging to only one person not a pair. Given the current views around purity culture and such it is an interesting way of viewing how the idea of shame and guilt alters depending on numerous factors particularly gender but I digress.

In terms of story this is lushly gothic with a touch of folklore and fairytale about it. I adored the juxtaposing of the Wood realm ran by The Lord of the Woods (LoW) and the town of Winston in Pennsylvania. One is full of happy and free individuals who live their lives mostly free of shame and regrets while the other is held under the shadow of everything potentially being a sin or at least bringing shame. The prose is beautiful and haunting. You could vividly imagine the woodland kingdom and its inhabitants. Pacing wise I adored this tale happens over a month or so while our protagonist (I’ll mention more on her shortly) is tasked with providing a song for the return of her baby brother. I loved the mixture of them beginning to find freedom and acceptance but also carrying the weight they must return.

In terms of characters I loved Leah and of course Tristan. In Leah Bovalino shows how conditioning can alter someone so completely. It was heart-breaking and also rewarding to see Leah slowly learn to accept who she was and how she wasn’t broken or used. It was also wonderful to see her and Tristan’s relationship grow and blossom throughout. Fletcher was probably my ultimate favourite character followed closely by Ruth but by the end of the book I felt like I knew all of them.

The twists and turns in the novel are also revealed at a good pace and made the reading enjoyable if not infuriating (at the ‘bad’ characters and situation not the novel) at times and I am glad some characters got just what they deserved!

I would recommend this to any fan of gothic horror, gothic fantasy and folk horror. Do be sure to check your triggers because some of the content is darker but it is worth making it through, if you can, and Bovalino is respectful of all issues raised.

I really loved this one and cannot wait to get a physical copy!

This was definitely out of my comfort zone but I really did enjoy the dark, creepy woods vibes this book gave out!

Leah was a good main character to follow, and this was very much a YA read.

Highlights
- YA romance
- Labyrinth style book
- Dark, creepy woods setting (perfect for reading in dark, stormy weather!)
- Explored women's fears in a realistic way

Small towns are often portrayed as good, homely, and decent communities where everyone knows each other, neighbours help neighbours, and things are like the 'good old days'. But small communities tend to hold secrets and darkness, especially when ruled by religion and fear. Tori Bovalino's latest book is a look at the darkness that such communities contain, of the hate bubbling just beneath the surface, and how old fashioned values can lead to cruelty and bloodshed.

My Throat An Open Grave tells the story of Leah, a teenage girl who's spent her entire life in the small, hyper religious town of Winston. Leah has grown up under the teachings of the church, where she and other teenage girls have been taught that sex, or even lustful feelings are a terrible sin. Made to take abstinence pledges, and to wear rings that show that they're still 'pure', the girls of Winston are treated as objects rather than people. Leah is growing more and more resentful of her small town, a town where she's treated as an outsider, where she doesn't have many friends, and where her parents treat her with disdain. Forced to look after her younger brother, Owen, Leah is treated as little more than a servant in her own home.

But religion isn't the only thing that the people of Winston have grown up believing in. There's also the Lord of the Wood. A mysterious, shadowy figure said to rule the woods on the other side of the river just outside of town, everyone in Winston knows that he's real, that every few decades he appears and takes a child away. But the Lord of the Wood can only take what he's offered. When Leah has finally had enough of her life, when she's fed up with everything, she makes an offer to the Lord of the Wood, and Owen is taken. Now, forced into the wood to retrieve him by the angry leaders of the town, Leah must find a way to save Owen and bring him back safely.

My Throat An Open Grave is advertised as being like Labyrinth and whilst that did pique my interest at first, I quickly found that that comparison kind of falls apart very quickly. There is a deal made with an almost fairy-tale-like figure who steals away a younger brother, which spurs on a quest to save him, but the tone and the content of the story that comes after is completely different. My Throat An Open Grave isn't some colourful, wondrous adventure filled with magical characters, it's a story about a hurt, abused, young woman learning to understand the trauma that she's been through and moving through it.

Tori Bovalino has written some dark work before, and I'd say that Not Good For Maidens is much closer in tone to Labyrinth than this book, but it also feels like My Throat An Open Grave is her darkest work yet. There are parts of the book that are genuinely chilling, not because they're fantastical, but because they're the parts that are very much grounded in reality. There are parts of Leah's story that are heart-breaking to read, but they're parts that will feel familiar because they're stories that we've all heard before. We've heard of the kind of familial abouse Leah deals with, with the abusive religious upbringing, because people who've lived through that have told their stories. There are times where the book is hard to read, and even though there were parts of the story that I saw coming pretty early on their full reveal was impactful not because it was a surprising twist, but because Bovalino filled the moments with such pathos that it was hard not to feel moved by them.

Whilst My Throat An Open Grave never feels completely original, with many of the story beats being predictable, or the world building having moments that feel borrowed from other stories the way in which Bovalino puts the very human story at it's centre, and the life that she puts into Leah makes the book worth reading. It was this emotional story that kept me hooked, and the way in which it was brought to a conclusion in the final chapters that elevated the book to the score that I've given it. So even if you feel like you've read this kind of book before, pick it up and give it a try, because there are some truly spectacular moments to be found in here.

creepy. romantic. sexy. CREEPY. a bit insane. may very well be one of my favourite books of 2024. felt like labyrinth meets house of hollow meets midnight is the darkest hour !!

My Throat is an Open Grave is a spooky/gothic/folklore-y delight following Leah who wishes her baby brother away to the Lord of the Woods in a moment of desperation, and then sent to retrieve him by her creepy church town, who have been cursed by these woods for generations. The writing was gorgeous and atmospheric, the story well paced, and while the plot was fairly predictable, I didn’t really mind. The romance was very insta-love, and the love interest very generic YA, but again, I didn’t mind because I enjoyed the rest of the story so much, and its exploration of religious trauma.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titanbooks for the free e-arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

“My throat an open grave” is the story of Leah. She lives in a small and weird town, very religious, and when she’s not at school or work or church, she takes care of her brother, Owen. She’s not happy, but it’s just life. But there’s something in the forest next to this village, Lord of the Woods, and it is said that if you’re not good, he’ll take you.
But one night, Owen doesn’t stop crying. And Leah does one thing she knows she shouldn’t, she wishes Owen away. And he’s taken.

That’s the plot of the book in a few words, without the twists and turns that will happen.

“My throat is an open grave” is actually a verse from the Bible, and I did not knew that. After finishing this book I searched for its meaning.

“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

I am a lover of creepy stories and creepy forests. I am a sucker for strange creatures and ghosts. While this wasn’t scary or horror, it was very enjoyable and entertaining. Also sad. It has “Labyrinth” vibes and explores women’s fears. It’s starting a little bit slow, but it’s very captivating.

There are one main character, Leah, and while it was a little annoying to see how many times she talks about herself being broken and bad, I understood her in the end. But throughout the story, we find out more about her and we see how people influenced her to have these opinions. She’s just a girl who made mistakes, but she always been seen as something rotten. It was sad to see how much she despises herself and I hate her mother for never standing up for her daughter. I liked to be by her side while she understood that she deserves love and peace and happiness.

“That’s what we’re meant to fear, isn’t it? Not the things that look evil, but the ones that look just as sweet and nice as honey, the sins that come back to bite you like a viper lying in wait. It’s to easy to trust a beautiful thing, to let yourself go deeper and deeper until you take a breath and realise the oxygen has been all sucked out and you’re suffocating.”

I don’t want to say a lot about this, it was a good book. My expectations were really low, being disappointed by so many gothic/horror books, but this one was a pleasant surprise. It has short chapters, easy and understandable writing, good and developed characters, I liked the twists even if I figured it out some of them, I was still surprised. I hate the town Leah grew in, I hate his residents, I hate what the men did to these women. The religion is playing a huge role in “My throat an open grave” and being in Leah’s place, it would be hard to believe in something bigger than everything.

“I wish I had some name, some religion that I believed could save me. I wish I could look to the stars and whisper the name of my own personal god and be whisked away somewhere new, somewhere that didn’t hurt so much.”

I’m very happy with the ending, but this book left me with some sad thoughts. It’s hard to be a woman, anything you do is not good. And Leah’s story in a good example.

I really don’t know what I was expecting when I went into this book as it’s not a genre I usually read a lot but I really loved it.

This was an absolutely captivating story following Leah who is sacrificed into the woods when her baby brother is taken by the Lord of Woods himself. She has been taught all her life to fear him and the place he rules over however when she gets there all is not as she expected.

As Leah beings to explore the new realm and unravel the mysteries and secrets of the girls that went before her she learns that her town has been keeping a bigger secret than she could have been prepared for!

Spooky folklore vibes, a mystery that needs to be solved, a misunderstood villain and a twist that I didn’t see coming!

This was quite a dark, subtly emotional and meaningful read, wrapped up in an entrancing YA package.

I really enjoyed the dynamic of Leah and Tristan, and her journey of opening up to him after living a life of religious oppression. As a protagonist, she is admiringly strong-willed, spirited and independent. Although she has friends and romantic interests around her in both her old life and the new, her narration makes her seem so starkly alone. Which, I guess, is the whole point of this book!

The beginning had me hooked, from the moment Owen was taken and a pile of twigs left in his place. I wish there was more darkness to this story, but that would be at the risk of making it less teen-friendly.

This was my first Tori Bovalino novel, and now I want to read more! Massive thanks to Titan and Netgalley for the gifted e-book.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing me an eARC to review!

Sadly I think Devil Makes Three may have been a one-hit-wonder for me and Bovalino, cause I really haven't enjoyed her two latest releases.

This one just didn't draw me in - I feel we didn't get enough of Leah's life pre-forest for the sake of a reveal later, and her relationship with the Lord of the Wood was just boring? The atmosphere wasn't giving either, and for a short book there wasn't much happening for the first half.

I also think that the 'reveal' being related to teen pregnancy and purity culture is a bit strange, as it seemed the author wanted to address recent happenings in the US but this isn't mentioned anywhere in the blurb or the content warnings. It just kind of seemed like a weird choice to use these topics as a twist in the story, and it put me off continuing.

I'm glad to see people enjoying this book, but I think I just am not gelling with Bovalino's stories at this point :(

Although The Devil Makes Three was a lovely book, it was Not Good for Maidens that put this author on my auto-buy list. This book has therefore been in pre-order ever since I discovered it was gonna be published and I really couldn't wait to get it. And then I discovered that it was also available through Netgalley. I had to request a copy and I was insanely happy when I got the email that Titan books had decided to grant me a copy.

Once I started reading it was impossible to put this book down. I was only gonna read the first few chapters and before I knew it I was halfway. The atmosphere in this book is wonderful. The writing is very fitting for the world this book takes place in, for the characters we're getting to know and for the kind of story that's being told. The book constantly balances on the line between reality and fantasy and it's very relatable and otherworldly at once.

I also loved the heroine in this story. She presents herself as flawed, as a bad girl, as someone who has broken all rules, as someone we should hate. Throughout the story we discover that her opinion on herself is heavily influenced by the people she grew up with, by the morals and unwritten rules of the town and by how people behave towards her. And there was nothing more beautiful than watching her discover she's still worth all the love she can get.

It's not the only heavy theme the book deals with. I don't want to give too much away of course, there is a reason the book keeps a lot of its secrets until the very end, but once I discovered what is truly going on even I felt a little sick and that happens to me rarely. I therefore really advise, if you have certain triggers, to check if this book is for you. This is not just a supernatural horror story. It's way more than that and the book can therefore hit very close to home.

I'm already looking forward to the next book by this author. No matter what it will be about!

I was completely enthralled by this book: not only the plot, but the writing and the main character.

I was quite surprised reading this, it was completely form what I expected in the best possible way. did not expect
this book to deal with issues of religious oppression and trauma and purity culture. But It was no well done. The constant imagery and symbolism of water throughout the book was done in such a genius move on Bovalino's part.

I love books with complex female characters and Leah was definitely one of them. The way she dealt with her trauma and the expectations placed on her, as a young woman, as an older sister, as a daughter.

This was my first time reading a book by Tori and I loved her writing style. The world building was fantastic and created a cosy whilst also creepy environment.

I wish the book leaned into the horror a little more but overall I enjoyed it and found that I couldn’t put it down.

3.5 stars

This was absolutely fantastic!! It was everything I had hoped for; I do wish we got a little more world building, dug a little deeper into the memory garden and the way the magic worked between the forest and the Lord! I think if the book was a little longer that would’ve been possible but I get that it was plot driven first and foremost.

The writing was achingly beautiful, as it always is with Tori- it was haunting and grotesque and romantic, and I loved every second of this! I love that there was some found family, and it didn’t shy away from any of the emotional experiences. The character arcs were fantastic and believable, I loved the resolutions- it didn’t feel too neat but still had a deep sense of yes this makes sense.

The biblical imagery paired with the horror of the forest, the tenderness and resentment around family was done so well, I felt these characters and their experiences so deeply. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I love this book. I loved the characters and the world building. I loved the dark gothic description. The ending was unpredictable and satisfying. Author has done a brilliant job by writing this book.

Fear, sacrifice, oath, bargain and secrets consumes the small town of Winston. No one knows who is the Lord of the Wood but people of the town are afraid of him and there are myths that he steal babies and he is the reason behind disappearance of girls. Leah never believed the myths but the trouble began when Owen is taken by the Lord of the Wood. Leah go to the forest and cross the river to bring back her baby brother but shadows lurk in the forest, ghosts appear from nowhere and she finds blood and gore. The lord is not what he appears to be. Finding Owen unveil the dark secrets and Leah starts questioning everything she has believed till now. To get her brother back, she has to make a bargain with the Lord or else she will have to stay in that realm forever, Will Leah able to fulfil part of her bargain? Will she be able to bring Owen back?

Thanks to Netgalley, Author & Publisher.

This is my first book by the author and I loved it, Bovalino’s writing style. Was fantastic, she has such a talent for creating such a gothic atmosphere. I loved how she merged the horror , fantasy and gothic romance, but most of all I loved how the story went in directions I wasn’t expecting at all. For me I’m a huge fan of Leah’s journey and all she learns about herself and women, their ‘place’ in life as dictated to by patriarchy, religion, shame, how it controls and the decision to be who she wants to be. Fantastic

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I just couldn't put this book down. Intrigued by the Labyrinth comparison, the promise of stolen baby and a quest to get him back, I was pleasantly surprised that the book is so much more! The continous theme of putting so much pressure on girls to be perfect (being good is the ultimate goal) and the punishment when it's impossible to achieve, hit close to home. And while the romantic plot line wasn't the main focus, it gave a much needed brighter side on this dark story. In addition, the discussion about motherhood and the myth of unconditional love was portrayed in a way that I wish to see more in various media.

Damn, My Throat an Open Grave is a powerful theme. Tackling themes of pro-choice, religious trauma, patriarchy, sex, Bovalino speaks to current issues of our time with pure brutal honesty.

I love how this mixed genres of horror, fantasy and paranormal elements to tell the story. Bovalino's use of horror elements was particularly excellent, boldly and obviously representing the horror, while giving space to explore these themes in all it's complexity and feelings.

I really love how this book explored motherhood, deconstructing the myth of what it is to be maternal and what that should look like. I loved how Bovalino represented that motherhood was not for everyone, and how that is okay - but also the consequences of motherhood being forced upon someone, particularly a young girl.

Bovalino approached the topic of shame, and how girls of all ages are often plagued by it. Shamed by society for having and enjoying sex, shame for not wanting to be a mother, feeling ashamed for just existing. This topic was well discussed and explored, and I loved the social and political commentary made by Bovalino - again, very timely.

This was a very powerful, wonderful written book. This was my first introduction to the writing of Bovalino and it will not be my last.

Thank you to Titan Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was unputdownable. Dark in ways I wasn't expecting with light when I needed hope. Another full marks from Tori.

Leah Jones is realistic about her future prospects; she knows there’s no getting out of Winston, Pennsylvania. Not for her. The town makes it clear there are consequences for bad behaviour, and when her little brother Owen is taken by the Lord of the Wood, Leah must venture in after him, bargain to get her brother back and return home, a feat no girl before her has managed. But the Lord is not what she expected, and while she writes her song to win Owen back, Leah starts looking for the truth of the woods, Winston, and the girls who have come before her.

The book took some dark turns that I really appreciated. Through Leah, we see the role religion and the patriarchy forces on women, and the influence it exerts over the way Leah sees herself. She admits she is not loved by the town, feels unloved by her mother, and holds herself responsible for what happens to Owen. It’s not a straight up horror, but instead mixes Fantasy, Horror, and Paranormal Romance for an examination of society in a really well-handled way.

Leah finds herself drawn to the Lord of the Woods, and her internal conflict revolves around her upbringing versus how she actually feels, knowing there are things she wants to do that the town would frown upon. She wrestles with the idea of belonging, feeling like she doesn’t truly belong anywhere and unable to see herself as others see her, viewing herself only through the lens of Winston.

The imagery, plot and Leah’s character all come together for a truly engaging novel that gives the reader plenty to chew on. It’s definitely one for older teen and adult readers, tackling themes of societal isolation, religion, the patriarchy, control, and sex, as well as a complicated mother-daughter relationship. It was my first read book of 2024, and has set a really high bar for anything I read for the rest of the year.

This was just great. Loved the labyrinthe vibes and the exploration of family vibes. Really enjoyed it. Weird, but brilliantly readable.